ASSESSING PM-KISAN AWARENESS, UTILISATION AND IMPACT AMONG FARMERS IN RURAL KERALA

Abstract

The study examines the impact of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme for the rural farmer beneficiaries and highlights their awareness, utilisation of financial assistance, perceived agricultural impact, and implementation challenges. The primary data used in the study is obtained through direct observation of the beneficiaries in the study area using a structured questionnaire with 130 beneficiaries. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the socio-economic characteristics, sources of information, utilisation patterns, perceived benefits and constraints. The hypotheses were tested using a one-sample t-test and one-way ANOVA. The results indicate that awareness of PM-KISAN is in the moderate to high range, and the extent of financial assistance for agricultural operations such as fertilisers and seeds is also in the moderate to high range. People expressed positive perceptions about agricultural productivity, financial stability and a decrease in reliance on informal credit. A t-test shows that the perceived positive effect on agricultural productivity is statistically significant. But there were no significant differences between the different categories of landholding. There is a significant difference in awareness as per education. Major implementation challenges were also identified, such as documentation and bank-related challenges. The results have significance for policymakers, implementing agencies, and farmers who benefit from the scheme.